Logging-car.



W. CLARK.

LOGGING CAR.

APPLICATION FILED MAYIB. |915.

1,147,311. PaIenIeaJuIy 20,1915.y

b .IIILIrT-Im 'IIIIWWIIIIIIIII p To all whom t may concern.'

nnrran srA WHITFIELD CLARK, or ANNIsToN, ALABAMA.

LOGrG-ING-CAR.

Be it known that I, WHITFIELD CLARK, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Anniston, in the county of Cal houn and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Logging-Cars, of which the following is a specification. l

' My invention relates vto improvements in stakes and ytheir releasable fastenings for holding logs onthe bunks of logging cars.

My invention is particularly, though not exclusively, adapted for use with metal bunks formed bychannels which pass over and under the center sills and are connected at their outer ends so as to leave an open space between them. Y .l Y r,

Myy improved stake. is baily shaped and adapted to straddlethe outer ends of the bunk and to be pivotally yconnected at its lower'end to the bottomchannel member rof vthe bunk. v

' My improved fastening' means consists in attaching a retaining chain to the upper portion ofthe stake and. providing a slot in the top channel member of the bunk through Ywhich this chainr is adapted to be passed and to vengage a catchhoused in the bunk and provided with an `operating rod disposed vwithin the bunk r.and extending through the center sills to the' other side ofthe car so that the catch may be released from that side and therebyavoid-danger tothe operator from the falling logs. i, v

A further obj ect of my inventionisto particularly design |the stake with reference to reinforcing it and providing ka suitable cross member to which the retaining chain may .be connected. vThis I accomplish by inserting a rectangular three sided brace member in the stake and riveting its sides to the sides of the stake. The upper member of this brace forms a cross reinforcing member at the base of the V-shaped top portion of the stake and it is adapted to just clear the top member ofthe bunk when the'stake is in operating position. To this cross brace `member I attach the shackle for the chain,

thereby disposing it where it is well. protected by the side'flanges of the channel and bythe stake itself from the logs.

`A distinctive feature of my stake is that I preferably make it of an I-beam or channel which is shaped to form whatmay be termed an A-shaped stake. When an I-beam is used specification of Letters Patent.

Application le. May 18,1915.- Serial No. 28,913.

Awhen locked in position tohold the stake, the

center plane through both bunk and stake,

ratentedJulyeo, 1915.

the side legs of the brace `form rolled fillers for the stake and are riveted to the same to form a structure which is simple, cheap in construction, and of great strength and durability. v

A further important feature of -my invention relates to the type of catch for fastening the chain and its object is to design" the catch with a pivot head so arranged that strain between the catch and the stakefis in perfect line `with the pivot bolt of the catch Aand the Ashackle bolt onlthe stake, thus leavlng no strain on the release or lock rod and making it easy at all times for the operator. to Vmanipulate the catch, and release the stakes no,\matter y how `muchgload should bind vbetween the stakes. Further, the

catches with their lock rods are housed in the -bunk so that they are entirely protected on all sides from the logs andthe strain on the stake is sustained by a single chain and transmitted without -bend or twist .to the bunk andin direction of the longitudinal thereby lequalizing. the strain ,of the stake and avoiding any tendency thereof to twist or displaceeither stake or-bunk.

With these and other objects ingview my invention will `be bestk understood from the following detail. description ,taken in connectionwvith the `accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, with the understanding however that while the structure illustrated kin the drawings presents a vpractical :embodiment of my invention, I

do not desire to be limited to the exact construction shown;` I

In the drawings:-Figure1 is a side elevation of the bunk with the stakes in operating position. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a partial side view of one end of the bunkshowing the stake re-V leased. Fig. 4: is lan end view of Fig.v 2.

Fig. 5 is a detail view of a modified form of the stake madelforthechannel. Fig. 6 is a `detail perspective view of the I-beam stake with its reinforcing `filler.

v Similarreference numerals vrefer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

According to the preferred embodiment of my invention as illustrated, I; show the bunk asformed of a top channel member 1 laid over the center sills 2 and a bottomchannel member 3 rpassed under the center sills.

. These channels have their anges out-turned and connected at the sides of the bunk by side brace plates'l. These plates connect the channels with their outer ends spaced to thereby leave the ends of the bunk open.

My improved stake is formed, preferably, by a channel or I-beam bent to form parallel base portions or legs 5, which at their upper ends join to an inverted V-shaped top 6. The legs are pivoted at their lower ends by a bolt 7 to the bottom channel 8. To strengthen the stake and furnish a cross member for the fastening chain, I provide a reinforcing member formed by a bar rolled to fit into the channel of the 1-beam to form a ller block therefor and shaped to provide legs '8 which seat snugly between the legs 5 of the stake and are joined to a cross member 9 which extends horizontally across the base of the top 6. The stake as thus formed may be said to have an A-shape with its cross member disposed to just clear the top channel as the stake swings on its pivot. The legs 5 and 8 are securely riveted together and a hole is provided in the center of member 9 to receive the shackle 10 of a short fastening chain 11. Each chain is adapted to have its end link inserted through a hole 12 in the top channel. 1 provide a hole 12 near each end of the bunk and the end link of the retaining chain for each stake is adapted to be inserted through the hole adjacent to it and to engage a trip or release catch 13 within the bunk. This catch is pivoted to a bracket 14C riveted to the top channel and has a hook member 15 and a depending arm 16. A release or lock rod 17 is connected to each arm and passed lengthwise through the bunk and through the center sills. rlhe ends of the lock rods are disposed at the open ends of the bunk and there I connect to each a handle grip 18 having a hole therein to receive a lock pin 19 which is passed down through alining holes in a bracket 2O and the lower channel 3. The release or lock rods 17 for controlling the stakes from opposite ends of the bunk are thus housed in and passed through the bunk and are accessible at the opposite ends of the bunk for operation. Referring to Fig. 1, it will be evident that the strain between the catch and stake is in a perfect line with the pivot of the catch and the shackle bolt of the stake, leaving no strain on the release or lock rod and making it easy under all conditions for the operator to release the stakes no matter how much load should bind between them. The stakes will swing down to a vertical position, see Fig. 3, and in this position they are fully protected by the bunk ends from injury by the logs.

The stake illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4: iS made of an I-beam with the reinforcing member forming a filler block for its side legs. In Fig. 5 I illustrate a stake formed from a channel 21 and having the reinforcing member bolted within it. The release rods are preferably disposed in diagonal parallelism through the bunk to avoid crossing them. n

Having thus described my invention, what l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:--

1. In combination, a bail-shaped logging car stake having its top pointed and its side legs parallel, a rectangular three-sided reinforcing member inserted between and bolted to said side legs and having a top member forming a cross brace for the stake and adapted to receive the stake retaining means.

2. A logging stake having a bail-shape with a channeled inner face and parallel side legs, in'combination with a reinforcing member having parallel side legs adapted to fit into and to lill the channels in the inner faces of said side legs andhaving a top member forming an intermediate cross brace for the stake and adapted to have attached to it the fastening chain.

3. A stake for logging cars comprising a bail-shaped body formed of a bent I-beam having parallel side legs, and a reinforcing lf-shaped member adapted to be inserted endwise into the channels on the inner faces of and riveted to said side legs and having a cross section to form a filler co-eXten sion with said side legs of the stakes, the Vtransverse leg of the reinforcing member l[fgorning an intermediate cross brace for the 4. In combination, a bunk for a logging car formed by top and bottom members which pass over and under the center sills, side plates connecting the ends of said members and holding them braced apart, bailshaped stakes pivoted at their' lower ends to said bunk ends and having each an intermediate cross member, a short retaining chain connected centrally to each cross member, a catch for each chain pivoted inside the bunk, a release rod connected to each catch and extending between said bunk members and through the center sill to the other end of the bunk, a fastening for each rod disposed within and accessible through the open end of the bunk, which has top openings through which said chains are connected to their respective catches, said catches having hook members adapted to swing into line with the line of strain on the chain and having arms at an angle to said hooks to which said release rods are connected.

5. A logging bunk havingpa pivoted bailshaped stake at one end, a short fastening chain connected to said bail, a pivoted catch adapted to engage said chain and hold the stake elevated, a release and lock rod connected to said catch and extending to the far end of the bunk, and a fastening pin adapted to lock the end of said rod to the bunk and housed in the bunk.

6. The combination with a bunk formed of spaced channels, a bail-shaped stake pivoted at its lower end to an end of said bunk, a short fastening chain connected centrally to said stake, said bunk having a top opening to receive said chain, a pivoted catch for said chain housed and mounted in the bunk, a lock and release rod connected to said catch and extending lengthwise through the bunk to the other end thereof, and a lock means at said latter end of the bunk comprising perforated members adapted to receive between them the perforated end of the rod, and a lock pin adapted to be passed to the bunk end, a short chain connected to the stake, a catch pivotedito the bunk adjacent to the stake and adapted to engage said chain 'with its pivot in true line with the strain on the chain, and a release and lock rodfor the catch extended lengthwise of and protected by said bunk to its distant end, and a lock pin andcoperating means adapted to fasten said rod end in the` end of the bunk.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

, Vl/'HI'IFIELDv CLARK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G 

